8/13/2008

If you're a youngster in Rochester with a love for baseball, being a bat boy for the Honkers is about the best way to spend your summer. That's what Benjamin Copeland is doing. Along with four other boys, Ben fetches bats and balls for the team's home games.

He gets razzed by the college athletes, and he razzes them right back. He's a smart, quick-witted young fellow who loves to entertain the crowd by getting out on the field to dance to the "Cha Cha Slide."

The Post-Bulletin headed to Mayo Field Wednesday to talk with Ben before the Honkers game against the Thunder Bay Bordercats. A thunderstorm rolled through, but by game time, the skies had cleared.

How did you get the bat boy job?

You have to call in really early before the season and have an interview with the owner of the Honkers. You have to sit down in these officey chairs and office table and talk with them. They told me about the job and what we have to do so we don't get in trouble or get fired.

Do you like hanging out with the players?

Yeah, they teach me things. They teach me how to be a better baseball player. I play in the Rochester Youth Baseball Association league. It's pretty much just T-Ball, but we get to pitch and hit. But you don't hit off a tee. It's Little League.

What's your team's name?

The Loose Bolts.

Do the Honkers games go past your bedtime?

Yeah, they always do. But my parents don't get mad. I just get to bed right when I get home.

What are your responsibilities?

We have to get the bats. We have to get the balls. Keep the dugout loose (one of the players told him to say this). We have to dance to the "Cha Cha."